Last November, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “won’t allow Islamic State figures or other enemy actors, under the cover of the war in Syria, to set up next to our borders,” but it appears this has already happened, to the point that a sizable ISIS training camp has been set up just across the Golan Heights border with Israel. Though Syrian al-Qaeda has long been a mainstay in southern Syria along Israel’s border, this constitutes the first widespread public acknowledgment and confirmation of a significant ISIS base of operations in the Golan region.

Israeli media this week is reporting news of the base camp after Israel’s Channel 2 aired an extensive report with video and photographic evidence of what’s being described as a training and recruitment center which has already attracted hundreds of new terror recruits. Channel 2 is one of Israel’s most visible and established news broadcast channels and operates under “The Second Authority for Television and Radio” licensed by the Knesset and the Ministry of Communications. According to the Times of Israel:

Israel’s Channel 2 said the commanders have made their way to an Islamic State-controlled enclave “close to the border” with Israel. They have set up a training camp to which they have recruited 300 local youths, said the report, which showed footage apparently of the camp and training sessions.

Among the commanders is one of Islamic State’s most notorious recruiters, Abu Hamam Jazrawi, the TV report said.

The commanders are also now running Islamic State internet propaganda campaigns from their new base, in place of the former campaign headquarters in Raqqa, the extremists’ former de facto capital in northwest Syria where the fight to oust them has entered what appear to be its final stages.

Channel 2 screenshot purporting to show the ISIS base camp just across Israel’s border.

The Channel 2 exposé further notes the presence of multiple senior Islamic State commanders at the camp, which suggests the terror group could be attempting to relocate its assets to Syria’s south as it appears to be crumbling with the onset of SDF, Syrian Army, and Russian forces in the eastern part of the country.

The Times of Israel acknowledges another shocking fact, which has itself become an open secret of sorts among Israeli defense and policy officials: what it calls the long-lasting “live and let live” relationship with al-Qaeda in the region. The Times of Israel explains:

Both the IS-affiliated Khalid ibn al-Walid Army and the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly the al-Nusra Front, which is linked to al-Qaeda, have been set up on Israel’s borders for years.

Despite a relatively long-lasting “live and let live” relationship with these groups, the IDF has warned of a potential — some say inevitable — conflict with them and has been preparing to respond to cross-border attacks.

Though the IDF has “warned” of some “potential” direct action against the most notorious terrorist groups in the world which seem to be comfortably ensconced within eyesight of Israeli border posts, it has never taken significant direct action against these groups, instead routinely targeting the Syrian army, Iranian-linked militias, and Hezbollah with airstrikes. This is a general reflection of the Israeli strategy of regime change in Syria, which has resulted in a well-documented history of assistance to al-Qaeda affiliated rebel groups.

A Wall Street Journal investigation found that this relationship involved weapons transfers, salary payments to anti-Assad fighters, and treatment of wounded jihadists in Israeli hospitals, the latter which was widely promoted in photo ops picturing Netanyahu himself greeting militants. As even former Acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell once directly told the Israeli public, Israel’s “dangerous game” in Syria consists in getting in bed with al-Qaeda in order to fight Shia Iran.

Channel 2 News and the The Times of Israel also featured an image from a prior video of a lone ISIS militant holding an Islamic State flag with the Israeli side of the Golan border in clear view.

The Times of Israel featured the above image: “Threats from across the border in a video released by an Islamic State affiliate on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights on September 3, 2016.”

In recent years, multiple current and former Israeli defense officials have gone so far as to say that ISIS is ultimately preferable to Iran and Assad. For example, former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren in 2014 surprised the audience at Colorado’s Aspen Ideas Festival when he said in comments related to ISIS that, “the lesser evil is the Sunnis over the Shias.” Oren, while articulating Israeli defense policy, fully acknowledged he thought ISIS was “the lesser evil.”

Likewise, for Netanyahu and other Israeli officials the chief concern was never the black-clad death cult which filmed itself beheading Americans and burning people alive, but the possibility of, in the words of Henry Kissinger, “a Shia and pro-Iran territorial belt reaching from Tehran to Beirut” and establishment of “an Iranian radical empire.”

With Israeli media now widely reporting the Islamic State’s presence along Israel’s border we wonder why such a clear and documented fact doesn’t cause bigger outrage. Though Israel’s Channel 2 bombshell report aired earlier this week, there’s been resounding silence in the international press. ISIS is camping out along Israel’s border, yet all we hear about is the supposed “Iranian threat” to Israel’s existence.

Top photo | Two men, not specified which group of rebels, ride a motorcycle towards an abandoned UN base at Syria’s Quneitra border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Nov. 28, 2016. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

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Please tell me what was inappropriate with my reply/comment…. or is this just plain old censoring – what about the first amendment?

tapatio

No censoring involved. Every discussion site has bots that trigger to hold or kick out any comment that contains certain words or phrases. A comment of yours obviously contained some word/phrase offensive to the staff at Mint.

Hint……..the editor/publisher is an observant Muslim. She doesn’t allow direct sXXual words or the word “Naz!”. Do you see my misspelled work-around?

robken

Helen, this is all very well – but the fact remains that ISIS is an extreme right wing fanatical religious (Islam) terrorist organization. Until the world of Islam brings to justice these rouge elements within its religious fraternities the world will continue to attack Islam for failing to address this horrific problem. Of course Israel is benefitting from these radical elements, and not just benefitting but also promoting their existence with arms, training and funds. And as for Saudi Arabia (Sunni), they too have been committing genocide in the Yemen and against the Shiite populations (especially in Iraq and Syria ) – when did ISIS (Sunni) last attack Saudi Arabia? or America. 911 was an inside job so that doesn’t count – Israel knew about it before it happened hence their cameras filming 911. Then there is all the killings and rape going on in Europe by Islamic fanatics. OK here is my suggestion – get the intelligentsia of the Islamic organizations to start policing their Congregationalists, their member devotees, to stop preaching hate speech and recruiting fanatics in their mosques. Until the West see this happening Islam will continue to be attacked verbally and Israel will continue to exploit and promote radicalism. If you wish to stop this madness get ISIS and the other Islamic terror organization’s to put down their guns – then Israel will have no one to do their dirty work for the sake of a great Israel.

tapatio

ISIS is NOT Islam/Muslim. Islam has REJECTED these creatures as the vast majority of Muslims STRONGLY disapprove of fanatics like the Wahhabi.

Islam was built on love and does a better job of staying on that goal than 90% of us Christians or ANY Jew.

tapatio

BTW, unless the comment to which you are responding is by a “flamer” troll, it’s common courtesy to respond using the reply button at the bottom of their comment.

robken

Have you ever wondered why Israel, America, and Saudi have not been attacked by ISIS now you get the picture… I hope… I wonder if it has something to do with ISIS funding and weapons provider…

Helen4Yemen

Imam gave a speech in 2015

When ISIS attacks non-Muslims, they immediately blame Islam for it. I have no doubt that ISIS is motivated by an agenda run by the enemies of Islam – by the enemies of Islam. And I want to bring this to your attention: ISIS has targeted people:

• in Lebanon,
• in Syria,
• in Iraq,
• in Kuwait,
• in Saudi Arabia,
• in Pakistan,
• in Afghanistan,
• in Yemen,
• in Algeria.

The only place – the only place that has been completely safe and has never been threatened by ISIS nor has it been targeted is Israel. What does that tell you? It speaks out, it speaks volumes, that ISIS somehow is connected to Israel. And ISIS is playing the role of the arm of the Zionist in the Muslim world to kill more Muslims and non-Muslims so it can defame the name of Islam. So people can blame Islam for its atrocities so people will be alienated from this religion, a peaceful religion, our religion. Otherwise, who is benefiting from these atrocities? Are Muslims benefiting? When they are jeopardizing the fate of 6 millions in the United States. 20 million Muslims live in Europe. Their fate, their well being, their livelihood is being jeopardized by ISIS. Has Islam benefited? No! The number 1 beneficiary of all these atrocities – I tell you – is the Zionist. It is the Zionist regime. And unfortunately this is the fact that we need … we have not been able to make people understand. This is the fact that we need to tell the world that ISIS – no matter how they look, with long beards and robes, and Islamic slogans, shouting “Allah- Wa-Akbar” after every atrocity, after every crime they commit, that does not mean they are Muslims at all. These are the enemies of Islam and the enemies of the Muslim Umma who are bent on destroying the reputation of Islam.

If you really want to know what is happening with the Middle Eastern policy you must read Oded Yinon’s Strategy for Israel in the 1980’s”. In that document, which is pretty much being played out to a T right now and has been for many years. There were serious objectives for Israel and Israel’s main objectives were to expand and grow in line with the Greater-Israel project and in order for it to do that there would need to be an excuse to justify the expansion of Israel and in order to do that we would have to sow the seeds of sectarian hatred and violence in the region. The number one target of this plan was Iraq. We have achieved that, that is not a failure, that is actually a success. Iraq is a failed state, it is an absolute basket case, sectarian hatred is absolutely insane. It is all part of the plan to break up Iraq into three different states. When we look at Syria, we also find that the goal is once again the same thing: sow the seeds of sectarian hatred and basically turn that nation into a basket case. This is happening according to plan as well. ISIS could stand for the Israeli Secret Intelligence Service. Many people are seeing big benefits to the “State of Israel”, the so-called “Jewish State of Israel” by the break up and the balkanization of the surrounding states,Why has ISIS or Al-Nusra -Front or Al-Quaeda not once have they eve attacked Israel? In fact, ISIS militants are getting medical attention in the Golan Heights and in Israel itself. What does that tell you?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReOSGFyGWJI

The recent devastating car bombing in Mogadishu has been blamed by Somali officials on the terrorist group al-Shabab. But the violence (and famine) that have beset Somalia have deeper roots — decades of imperialism and intervention, and use of Somalia as a staging grounds for the “war on terror.”

Buried among statistics on gun profits and lobbying efforts is the terrifying reality of just how unique America’s gun obsession and associated violence are. And the equally terrifying plan by the NRA to “normalize” gun possession in nearly every nook and cranny of American life.

U.S. campaigns for regime change characteristically focus on the “madness” of the “dictators” to be toppled. In the case of North Korea, the narrative is spiced by the country’s developing nuclear capabilities — which North Korea views as its main line of defense against . . . regime change.

Aung Su Kyi, the leader of Myanmar, has been accused of “legitimizing genocide” against the country’s Rohingya Muslims, despite being a Nobel Prize laureate. Her country’s military has massacred thousands of Rohingya, leading some to call for Kyi’s Nobel Prize to be revoked.